I would like others to explain this to me. Which is correct?
- goosebumps
- goose bumps
Thank you!
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Welcome to English Language Learners. Have you tried looking up either spelling in a dictionary? – Tashus Oct 30 '18 at 16:07
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books.google.com/ngrams/… – Khan Oct 30 '18 at 17:31
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You can write either as goose bumps (two words) or as goosebumps (single word).
However, the former is more common than the latter.
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1You can also write "goose-bumps". They are widely called "goose pimples" in the UK, with or without a hyphen. – Michael Harvey Oct 30 '18 at 18:55
It depends. Both can be valid, but the typical expression is one word:
goosebumps (n): A state of the skin caused by cold, fear, or excitement, in which small bumps appear on the surface as the hairs become erect; goose pimples.
You can write it as two words and it will be understood; however you might also mean literal "bumps" somehow made of "geese". Or, on a humorous note: One modern use of "bump" is the action of touching fists together (also called a "fist bump").
Ergo, "goose bumps":
Side note: Other terms for "goosebumps":
horripilation (from the Latin horrēre, "to bristle or shiver" or "to be dreadful or terrible," and Latin pilus, "hair.")
piloerection (from the same pilus plus erection, thus "standing hair.")
cutis anserina (used in medical texts, cutis is Latin for "skin", and anserinus for "goose", so literally "goose skin")
goose pimples
goose flesh
